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Flashcards in Group Psychology Deck (43)
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1
Q

Improvement in performance due simply to the presence of others is termed:

A

social facilitation.

Social facilitation occurs when people perform tasks better when in the presence of others. This is true of simple or highly familiar (well-rehearsed) tasks.

2
Q

A decrease in an individual’s sense of self due to joining a group is called:

A common example of this phenomenon is the mentality in mobs.

A

deindividuation.

Deindividuation is the concept that in a large group, there can be a loss of self-awareness. When in a mob, one no longer feels as much like an individual and can end up behaving in ways that would never occur when alone.

3
Q

Explain the role of group size in deindividuation.

A

The larger a group, the more likely deindividuation is to occur.

Deindividuation refers to the loss of self-identity in a group, which is more likely in a large crowd or mob than in a small gathering of people.

4
Q

Which aspect of deindividuation explains why wearing masks often is associated with deindividuation within a group?

A

Anonymity

Deindividuation has been proposed to arise when group members no longer feel like they can be identified in the group. This can lead to a perception of decreased personal responsibility for the events.

5
Q

In a public emergency, medical professionals are taught to point at someone specific and tell them to call emergency services, rather than to just shout “Someone call 9-1-1!” This is most likely to counter:

A

the bystander effect.

The bystander effect is the psychosocial phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. The more bystanders there are, the less likely someone offers help.

6
Q

Many students loathe participating in group projects. Their fear of being stuck with more work than normal is likely because they fear one of their partners will engage in:

A

social loafing.

Social loafing occurs when people exert less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than if they were working alone.

7
Q

What form of social control is exerted to prevent individuals from talking loudly in a church?

A

Informal social control

Informal social controls are those that are not enforced explicitly through laws or regulations. There’s no law against talking loudly at church! However, these controls are enforced through other means, such as disapproval and criticism.

8
Q

What form of social control is exerted when a police officer arrests a man for committing a robbery?

A

Formal social control

Formal social control is enforced through laws and other explicit rules. Robbery is illegal, so when the police officer arrests the man, formal social control is being exerted.

9
Q

Many adolescents take up smoking because they see their friends or classmates doing it, and they wish to fit in. This informal effect on behavior by those in one’s social circles is known as:

A

peer pressure.

Peer pressure is the direct influence on an individual by his or her peers, making the individual more likely to behave in a certain fashion (often similarly to the peers’ behavior).

10
Q

An adolescent takes up smoking due to peer pressure. By changing his behavior in order to fit in with his peers, this teen has _______ to what he thinks is expected of him.

A

conformed

Conformity is any behavior which is engaged in to remain in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards.

11
Q

An adolescent, Gigi, takes up smoking due to peer pressure. Her parents find out and demand she cease smoking. If Gigi actually stops smoking, then she has altered her behavior in an act of:

A

obedience.

Obedience is changing one’s behavior in response to a request/demand from a social authority or an authority figure.

12
Q

The adjustment of one’s views to a more extreme position when in a group of members who agree is called:

A

group polarization.

Group polarization occurs when the decisions and opinions of individuals in a group become more extreme than their typical personal beliefs.

13
Q

Some high school seniors are unhappy with the class president. If these students talk to each other about the class president for an hour, what is likely to occur to their views?

A

They will become more extreme (as in, more unfavorable of the class president).

This exemplifies group polarization, which is the tendency of group members’ views to become more extreme after discussion within a group who agrees.

14
Q

Illogical decision-making in groups in order to maintain group solidarity is known as:

A

groupthink.

This is the phenomenon in which people who are a part of a cohesive group value the maintenance of group solidarity over reality or logical reasoning. Personal doubts are set aside, people want to go along with the group, and the group may end up making poor, hasty, irrational decisions.

15
Q

Irving Janis, a Yale psychologist, proposed eight characteristics of groupthink. Which of these characteristics is exemplified by all group members believing that the group is doing “the right thing” or “God’s work”?

A

Unquestioned belief in the morality of the group

This characteristic of groupthink may lead the group to make poor or unethical decisions in the name of morality.

16
Q

Self-appointed members of a group engaged in groupthink who avoid communicating negative information about the group are termed:

A

mindguards.

The presence of mindguards is one of Janis’s eight characteristics of groupthink.

17
Q

Irving Janis, a Yale psychologist, proposed eight characteristics of groupthink. Which of these characteristics is exemplified by a group member who is worried about some of the group’s extreme views but does not speak up?

A

Self-censorship

It’s important to understand that groupthink does not mean that all group members agree. However, members who do not agree are likely to undergo self-censorship and avoid speaking about their concerns.

18
Q

Irving Janis, a Yale psychologist, proposed eight characteristics of groupthink. Which of these characteristics is exemplified by the belief that everyone in the group agrees on a certain concept?

A

The illusion of unanimity

Group members engaging in groupthink are likely to falsely believe that everyone agrees on the group’s stances. This is contributed to by another of Janis’s characteristics, self-censorship (avoidance of speaking up when one disagrees).

19
Q

Members of a rural cult believe that they are destined to succeed, so they break multiple laws with the thought that they will never have to pay the consequences. Which of Janis’s eight characteristics of groupthink does this exemplify?

A

The illusion of invulnerability

This characteristic of groupthink describes the false perception that the group will never be harmed, which can lead to excessive risk-taking.

20
Q

According to Irving Janis, if a member of a group engaged in groupthink tries to openly disagree, that member will be subjected to:

A

direct pressure.

This (direct pressure on dissenters) is one of Janis’s eight characteristics of groupthink. This pressure is generally social (pressure to agree or face exclusion) but may rise to the level of threats or force.

21
Q

Groupthink can cause a group to ignore warnings by explaining them away. Which of Janis’s eight characteristics of groupthink does this exemplify?

A

Collective rationalization

For example, if members of the group begin to get arrested, the group may rationalize this by saying that those group members were weak or didn’t truly believe in the group’s mission.

22
Q

Which of Janis’s eight characteristics of groupthink involves often-negative views about outgroup (non-group) members?

A

Stereotyping

While stereotyping can certainly occur in contexts other than groupthink, it is common in groupthink situations, where outgroup members are viewed negatively and often demonized.

23
Q

The employees at a small tech startup intensely believe in the company’s mission. When employees occasionally attend conferences, they hear information that indicates that the company likely won’t succeed long-term, but they avoid passing this information on to the rest of the group. What is the role of these employees in the context of groupthink?

A

They are serving as mindguards.

According to Irving Janis, mindguards are group members who filter out negative information about a group engaged in groupthink, thereby preventing this information from reaching the rest of the group.

24
Q

Many adolescent girls are ostracized, ridiculed, or shamed by their peers if they are perceived to have engaged in sexual activity with “too many” partners. This is an example of a:

A

sanction.

Sanctions are informal punishments for violating social norms, such as being a “proper lady.”

25
Q

Identify the social norm illustrated below.

“Do not discuss religion or politics when meeting new people, as it is not polite.”

A

This is a folkway.

Folkways are casual social norms with little to no consequence if violated.

26
Q

Identify the social norm illustrated below.

“A 50-year-old man should not be dating or pursuing a 19-year-old woman, even if it is legal.”

A

This is a more.

Mores are more formalized than folkways and are set by society, largely for appearance and behavior. Individuals who do not follow social mores are often considered deviants.

27
Q

Identify the social norm illustrated below.

In 2005, a Boeing engineer in Enumclaw, WA died as a result of sexual intercourse with a horse. This accident uncovered a bestiality ring at a local farm. The farm owners were shunned, shamed, and legally pursued and eventually had to move away for their violation of social:

A

taboos.

Taboos are the strictest social norms, for which the penalty for violation is the most severe. Sometimes, legal consequences result (though not necessarily).

28
Q

Place mores, folkways, and taboos in order from the strictest to the least strict social norms.

A

Taboos are the strictest, followed by mores. Folkways are the least strict of the three.

29
Q

Identify the social phenomenon illustrated below.

In the novel The Lord of the Flies, several young boys are stranded on an island with no adults. The boys experience a breakdown of social standards necessary for regulating behavior. They descend into a more feral state as common values from society are no longer understood or accepted.

A

Anomie

Anomie is the lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group.

30
Q

Individuals who do not adhere to social norms (typically taboos, mores, or even laws) are:

A

deviants.

31
Q

A common problem with prison sentencing in the United States is that individuals who are imprisoned for non-violent offenses may come out of prison “better” criminals. Their time in prison with other, more deviant individuals leads them to be more deviant through a process called:

A

differential association.

This occurs when association with deviant people causes you to become deviant too. This phenomenon can be harnessed to bring about social change.

32
Q

An debate arose in American politics in 2017 over when to use the description “Nazi” for those espousing unpopular or offensive views about race, religion, gender, etc. The argument against use of the word posited that calling people by this name would only embolden them, while those for the use of the word claimed its strongly negative associations from the past would cause individuals to question their speech and change their minds and/or behavior. Both groups were subscribing to which theory of deviance?

A

Labeling theory

This theory posits that labeling people affects their self-image and can lead to either deviance or conformity. For example, labeling someone a Nazi can either cause them to stop their actions due to shame, or cause them to embrace the label (“I guess I am a Nazi, then.”).

33
Q

The 1980s saw an increasing number of youths turn to drug dealing and gangs as a means of making a living. Sociologists looking for support for ________ theory would be likely to examine the socioeconomic status of these individuals and interview them about how they felt about their position in society and their money-earning options.

A

strain

Strain theory posits that the structure of society can pressure people to commit crime or other deviant behavior.

34
Q

Identify the collective behavior phenomenon illustrated below.

In the late 1990s a “Tickle-me-Elmo” doll was the most highly-sought-out Christmas gift, with people fighting over them in stores and paying up to 20 times the retail price for one.

A

This collective phenomenon was a fad.

Fads are short-lived trends, such as the Elmo example, dabbing, planking, and most fashion trends.

35
Q

Identify the collective behavior phenomenon illustrated below.

In the 1950s, Americans were paranoid about the presence of communists in society. People were suspicious of those around them, artists were blackballed by executives in Hollywood, and rumors about invasions were ever-present.

A

Mass hysteria

Mass hysteria is large-scale behavior by crowds, often due to rumors and fears affecting the group. The Salem witch trials and looting/frenzied shopping in advance of major events due to media coverage are other examples of mass hysteria.

36
Q

Identify the collective behavior phenomenon illustrated below.

In response to the Rodney King trial verdict in April 1992, thousands of people in Los Angeles gathered to protest in the streets and eventually set fires, destroyed property, and assaulted people in response to what they perceived as a miscarriage of justice.

A

A riot

A riot involves a group of people who vandalize property, commit acts of violence, or otherwise lash out physically in the streets or a specific location. This is typically due to frustration with society.

37
Q

Which of the following can serve as agents of socialization?

  • Family
  • Mass media
  • Peers
  • School
A

All of the factors listed can serve as agents of socialization.

Socialization occurs throughout one’s life, but some of the most crucial socialization occurs in childhood. Family is often considered the most important agent of socialization.

38
Q

This is the process of learning to behave in a manner that is acceptable to society.

A

Socialization

39
Q

Which type of socialization occurs in young children and is mainly influenced by close family members?

A

Primary socialization

During this phase, children first learn which behaviors and values are appropriate in their society.

40
Q

Which type of socialization would occur when Pete, a high school student, gets his first job?

A

Secondary socialization

This occurs when an individual joins a smaller group within society (such as a school or professional environment) and must learn the behaviors and values appropriate to that group.

41
Q

Which type of socialization is occurring when Marla, a college senior who desperately wants to work at Google, reads everything she can about Google workplace culture in her free time?

A

Anticipatory socialization

This occurs when an individual begins to adopt the beliefs and behaviors appropriate to a group that he or she has not yet joined but expects or wants to join in the future.

42
Q

Which type of socialization is undergone by individuals in prison?

A

Resocialization

Resocialization refers to the process of replacing one’s prior socialization with the expected behaviors and values of a new (and often dramatically different) environment. Classic examples include prison systems and military boot camp.

43
Q

True or false:

Primary socialization always begins before secondary socialization.

A

True

Primary socialization begins very early in life, while secondary socialization by nature is not initiated until the individual must socialize to a new environment (such as school).